Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Health is its weak spot (D): residents are less healthy than 93% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. A typical home there costs about $309K, 4.6 years of the Shelbyville area’s $67K median household income. It lags on safety as well (C−): its police reported 109 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 80% of U.S. towns. The overall grade lands at D−, 167th of 175 in Tennessee. On that grade it does better than 2% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Jenkins Lutheran Chapel and Cemetery and Gov. Prentice Cooper House (Additional Documentation). 34% of working residents work locally in the town, where Tennessee’s towns sit at 12% and U.S. towns at 8%.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · FBI crime data, 2025 · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · National Register of Historic Places · Census LEHD, 2023.
Where Shelbyville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Jenkins Lutheran Chapel and Cemetery is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 1,708 in 1850, a low of 776 in 1860, 23,557 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 4 maps from 1936 on.
14 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far Shelbyville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Shelbyville, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Shelbyville.
27% of Shelbyville adults say their health is fair or poor. Only 7 of the 176 Tennessee towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have obesity than Shelbyville. Against the Tennessee average, Shelbyville comes out ahead on 1 CDC measures out of 31, and behind on 11.
| Shelbyville | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 12% | 8.1% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 39% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 17% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 24% | 19% |
| What stands out | Shelbyville | TN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.7% | 8.2% |
| More uninsured adults | 19.3% | 11.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Three of its 9 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. Public schools: the Bedford County school district.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harris Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 977 | C− |
| Shelbyville Central High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,604 | C− |
| Thomas Magnet SchoolTop results in townGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 436 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
At 36.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 67% of Tennessee’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 656 to 471 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
For Shelbyville, the level of property crime is 13.7 per 1,000 residents. In Shelbyville, the rate of reported violence is 4.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Shelbyville | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.1 per 1,000 residents | 2.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 13.7 per 1,000 residents | 11.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Shelbyville’s natural-hazard score from FEMA comes in at 70 of 100. Federal aid has come to Shelbyville households in 6 declared disasters; the latest was in 2019. Expected losses in Shelbyville break down as 46% from inland flooding and 19% from cold waves. The national flood insurance program has paid 18 claims in the town since 1999.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The peak summer temperature in the town is 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Among workers in Shelbyville, 6.8% do their job from home. About one in three of the town’s working residents works in town. Its mean commuting time stands at 27 minutes. The top destinations are Nashville (13%), Murfreesboro (11%) and Smyrna (4%).
| Shelbyville | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 34% | 12% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 21% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 6.8% | 9.6% | 11% |
| Median household income | $55,000 | $61,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
A typical home in Shelbyville is worth about $309,000, up 1.2% in a year, 7% below the Tennessee typical home. In Shelbyville, just over half of households live in a home they own. Homes in Shelbyville sold for 97.4% of their list price on average.
| Shelbyville | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 51% | 66% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,056 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The trail density for Shelbyville comes to 0.1 miles per square mile. There are 1.4 miles of trail across 5 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is HV Griffon Park, at 86 acres.
| Shelbyville | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. River Bottom Park | 0.4 mi | 16 |
| 2. HV Griffon Park | 0.3 mi | 86 |
| 3. Daisye Musgrave Hulan Park | — | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Shelbyville
About 3 of every 100 Shelbyville residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
20,335 counted in 2010 and 23,557 in 2020; an estimated 26,146 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 11.1% since 2020, after 15.8% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
14 places in Shelbyville on the National Register of Historic Places.
27 notable people were born in Shelbyville.
City in Tennessee, United States
Shelbyville is a city in and the seat of government of Bedford County, Tennessee, United States. The city was laid out in 1810 and incorporated in 1819. As of the 2020 census, Shelbyville had a population of 23,557. The city is a hub of the Tennessee Walking Horse industry and has been nicknamed "The Walking Horse Capital of the World".
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Shelbyville grades D− overall, better than 2% of U.S. towns and #167 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades D for health, C− for safety and C for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
27 notable people were born here, including Sondra Locke and Keon Johnson.
